Robert Morris has won games this season with their pressure
defense and the emergence of a couple explosive freshmen. Karon Abraham would be
playing in a major conference right now if he was not 5-9. But he is not a great
ballhandler and that makes him a 5-9 shooting guard and he ended up at Robert
Morris. Even Coach Mike Rice was hesitant to start the freshman right away, but
he proved to be too valuable to leave on the bench. On the season Abraham is
leading the team with 13.4 points and is easily the best outside shooter on the
team, knocking down 2.4 long balls per game at an impressive 44.2 percent clip.

The other surprising freshman is Velton Jones. He is not
the scorer that Abraham is and probably takes too many outside shots, but Jones
is a quality defender and a capable playmaker. His turnover numbers are a little
high, but that is not too surprising from a freshman. Mezie Nwigwe is the
experienced option in the backcourt and has to be the leader on and off the
floor. Nwigwe is a decent outside shooter, but he does most of his damage
attacking the basket. Gary Wallace is a great shooter off the bench and provides
the Colonials with yet another offensive weapon in the backcourt.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Losing Jimmy Langhurst 11 games into the season with a knee
injury really forced the backcourt to become a lot younger than Coach Rice hoped
and that could be a problem when the pressure is on in March. Langhurst was a
nice outside shooting option and a senior leader and now just about all the
outside shooting will have to come from Abraham. The other concern, especially
when talking about a team like Robert Morris trying to win a game or two in the
tournament, is size and rebounding. Dallas Green and Russell Johnson have done a
fine job on the glass, but neither are that big or strong. Johnson is more of a
wing than a big man, but he will spend time at the four spot when necessary.
With Josiah Whitehead and Brad Piehl available off the bench, Robert Morris has
plenty of bodies, but most of them are undersized and will get outmatched by a
decent frontcourt.

Who To Watch:

The one big man who can battle with some of the better big
men in the country is Rob Robinson. He ranks second on the team in scoring and
leads the team in rebounding. Robinson is also a decent shot blocker and a
pretty good passer for a 6-8, 215 pound senior. As long as Robinson can
neutralize the frontcourt, Abraham, Nwigwe and Jones will make things happen on
the perimeter and a hot shooting night means Robert Morris can pull off an
upset.

Probable Starters:

Velton Jones, Freshman, Guard, 8.2 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.5 spg

Karon Abraham, Freshman, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 1.5 apg

Mezie Nwigwe, Senior, Guard, 8.2 ppg, 2.5 apg, 4.3 rpg

Rob Robinson, Senior, Forward, 9.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg

Dallas Green, Senior, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Russell Johnson, Freshman, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg

Brad Piehl, Freshman, Center, 1.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg

Gary Wallace, Junior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg

Josiah Whitehead, Senior, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 69.0 (174th in nation, 4th
in conference)

Scoring Defense: 66.2 (117, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.8 (159, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (69, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (219, 8)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.6 (70, 3)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.7 (239, 6)

Rebound Margin: 1.5 (138, 4)

Assists Per Game: 12.7 (188, 5)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.7 (242, 6)

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About Joel Welser

ColumnistCollege Preview Editor

Contactjwelser@collegehoops.net

Background

"Joel Welser does a tremendous job covering college basketball. He gives his readers knowledgeable and insightful information on college hoops." -Ernie Zeigler, Head Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University "Joel Welser writes clean, knowledgeable copy that always hits deadline." -Greg Eno, former editor-in-chief, Motor City Sports Magazine Growing up in Michigan, Joel Welser inherited a love for Big Ten sports. After defying all family traditions and not going to Michigan State, Joel headed out west to earn his bachelor degree from California State University, Northridge in Cinema Television Arts, specializing in screenwriting. For reasons still unknown, after his stint in Hollywood, Joel headed back to Michigan where he remains to this day complaining about the cold. Joel has found a successful formula with the popular top 144 series at collegehoops.net and has also written college football and college basketball previews and articles for various websites and magazines.